Belarus approved this Sunday a new constitution through a referendum that, among some measures, will officially abandon the country’s non-nuclear status, which could give way to receiving Russian atomic weapons on its territory, which has been key in the process of invading Ukraine.
According to several agencies that quoted the central electoral commission of Belarus, a 65.2% of the participants in the elections voted in favor of the new constitution backed by its president, Alexander Lukashenko.
The new constitution would contemplate the transfer of nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, something that has not happened since the country abandoned these weapons before the fall of the Soviet Union.
This controversial election occurs in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has had unrestricted support of the Lukashenko regime.
The possibility of receiving nuclear weapons from Russia was recalled by Lukashenko this Sunday, stating that he could ask Russia to return nuclear weapons to its territory.
“If you (the West) transfer nuclear weapons to Poland or Lithuania, then I will turn to Putin to return the nuclear weapons I delivered without any conditions,” warned the leader of the republic. ex-Soviet lica.
In 2020, Lukashenko was supported by Russia after protests were staged in his against through loans that helped alleviate the effects of the sanctions they faced.
Meanwhile, the West emphasized that it will not recognize the results of the referendum, which has been marked by a crackdown on opponents and has caused at least 290 arrests, according to rights activists.
The repressive attitudes of the Lukashenko regime reached a peak in 550, when a brutal repression was reported against his opponents who claimed alleged manipulations in the results of the presidential elections that the Belarusian president won by a wide margin.
The leader of the opposition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya , who is in exile, called on Belarusians to use the referendum vote as a protest against the in Visit to Ukraine.
As a consequence of the approval of the referendum, the new constitution would grant powers to the People’s Assembly of Belarus, which Lukashenko created and is made up of officials loyal to his party.
Furthermore, it would grant the president lifetime immunity from prosecution if he leaves office, which he has held for a long time 27 years.
With information from Infobae